Friday 11 February 2011

Square One.

It seems that while I thought I was engaging in real life, ducking and diving as usual, I was, in fact, playing a game of Snakes & Ladders!
You know how it goes: roll the dice and with a bit of luck you scoot along rising up the board with each throw, sometimes slipping back now and again (darn it) only to forge ahead at others by climbing up the ladders of great promise. Onwards and upwards, get outa ma way dinnae haud me back, - then, when you think you are heading down the home straight, cheering crowds on either side, riding high on a double-six, wham-bam thank-you-maam you’ve hit the longest slithery snake two boxes from the end and in a flash find yourself at the very bottom again next to square one. Expletives deleted.

I find that games are often analogies for real life, but wish I had been playing ‘Go For Broke’ instead ( I am very good at that game, unlike Monopoly which no one in our household wants ever to play at with me again because they say I don’t know when to give in).

Which leads me (neatly) to my main theme which is: I am still here, and even though I have given it serious thought, I will not give in! [Cherry Pie and Ice Cream, which I have just had put in front of me, helps an awful lot].
Instead, after much thought and contemplation - a long period of reflection and contemplation in the silence of my own empty head, I decide that continue I must. There is still so much I want to accomplish and the place to start is...at Square One, with charcoal in my hand:





The Polka Dot dress, all charcoal on cartridge paper, A2.

Now these this might seem a bit shaky but a boy has to re-start somewhere!

[Dedicated to Melanie “One Cow at a Time“]

8 comments:

my croft said...

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
So good to see you.

Thanks for the shout-out (as the saying now goes over here) but all bovine credit goes to Robyn Gordon in South Africa:
http://artpropelled.blogspot.com/2009/03/happy-friday.html

and such lovely cows they are.

Melinda said...

It's really good to see you back at the drawing table. As you read about the struggles of other, older (!), artists, you just know, don't you, that giving up is not an option, even if you need to take time off for awhile.

Your work is always heartfelt and full of energy.

Looking forward to much, much more!

Lisa Le Quelenec said...

Hey - you're back! I was going to try emailing you the other day instead I checked your other blog and flickr to see if you were there. Then I thought ooh I sound stalker probably don't want me mithering him anyways - best wait. Probably just cooking up some more beautiful work and in need of peace and quiet. I didn't for one minute think you were battling with snakes! Yikes!

These are lovely drawings methinks your wife is a very good model.

daviddrawsandpaints said...

Thanks Melanie!
I fear I still don't have very much to say atm but I'll milk one cow at a time as you have encouraged me to.

daviddrawsandpaints said...

I have a lot to thank you for, too, Melinda, for your constant support and encouragement.

Energy and enthusiasm was certainly lacking for a while there.

I have done much reading and introspective thinking about what I was doing and where I wanted to go and tho' I still don't have all the answers I have found some good insights in my solitude and can now see a brighter and more positive way forward.

Your paintings are always a great pleasure and tonic to me.

daviddrawsandpaints said...

Dear Lisa - I stand like Saint George having chopped all the snakes heads off!

There would have been no problem at all if you had emailed me. I do not mind a bit of 'mithering' at any time and I wouldn't have taken it as stalking. I know the internet can be a dangerous place and some very unwelcome people about so it is best to be careful. I therefore appreciate your reticence and respect.

Unfortunately, however, I haven't been cooking up any great paintings while I've been away (lost my brushes, remember) but I have done a lot of thinking and reading and thinking and dreaming and I am very pleased to say at least I now have a much better idea what it is I want to be doing. It might not suit everybody's tastes but at least it will be mine.

I'm very pleased you like these drawings of my polka-dot wife!

iddy said...

WOAH! not bad ilike i like the whole snakes and ladde3rs analogy was really good i enjoyed and laughed my way through your blog...you should check mine out

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